


Paroxysm of Consequence

by Rennaren



Series: Tomorrow [3]
Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Kind of AU, Post Season 2, slight spoilers for season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-30 01:21:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8513305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rennaren/pseuds/Rennaren
Summary: A series of bombs are being set off in the city and Division One is called out to locate and deal with the bomber.





	1. Chapter 1

Nobuchika Ginoza made his way down to the squad room of Division One, humming a tune from some nearly forgotten song he may have heard when he was younger under his breath. Falling silent as he entered the room Ginoza settled himself at his station, sorting through the files piled on his desk for a few minutes before gathering up a few of them that were from closed cases and getting up to leave them on Akane’s desk for her to see before they were filed away. As he made his way to the front of the room he noticed the unusual presence of Shion, who only rarely left her lab, in the squad room. She was perched on the edge of Yayoi’s desk, leaning toward the female enforcer and whispering conspiratorially. As he approached they fell silent, looking up to watch him walk across the room. A hint of a teasing smile curved Shion’s lips.  
He eyed the pair warily for a moment before stepping past them to deposit the files he was carrying on Akane’s desk.  
When he turned back they were still watching him, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded fractionally, murmuring a “Good Evening.” as he made to return to his desk.  
Yayoi returned Ginoza’s greeting with a nod, and faint hint of a smile. 

“You’re certainly in a good mood today.” commented Shion leaning back on one arm as she crossed her legs, kicking outward a bit extra with one leg as she did so, forcing Ginoza to come to a stop to avoid running into her. 

He looked over at them raising an eyebrow as he narrowed his focus to Shion. “Excuse me, Karanomori? I don’t see how my ‘mood’ is any different than usual.”

“Anyone could see that it looks like spring has come at last to thaw the unflappable Ginoza-san’s icy heart. So who’s the lucky person?” said Shion, grinning at Ginoza as she blew a puff of smoke from her cigarette in his general direction. 

Ginoza sighed, internally debating for a moment the wisdom of encouraging Shion’s line of questioning by responding. “Exactly what are you trying to say?”

“Well for one thing, someone might almost be able to call you cheerful, Ginoza-san. …And There’s only so many reasons for a man to suddenly be in such good spirits, after all.” Shion said, winking. 

Ginoza looked down at her, his expression not quite a glare as he folded his arms over his chest.  
At his station Hinakawa blushed, crouching a bit toward the surface of his desk as if trying to avoid being caught in the crossfire.  
“Don’t be ridiculous. I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.” said Ginoza, as he resolutely turned to go back to his station, pulling out his chair with a bit more force than necessary before sitting down. 

Shion leaned closer to Yayoi, eyeing him with an amused smile as she made as if to whisper to the female enforcer but instead spoke loudly enough for Ginoza to still be able to hear. “I’d say Ginoza-san has feelings for someone at least. Even if he won’t let on who it is.”

Ginoza felt his face begin to warm faintly at Shion’s words, he glanced toward Inspector Shimotsuki’s station for a moment hoping she at least hadn’t heard them. Thankfully it seemed as if she were preoccupied with a report and hadn’t overheard.  
Trying to ignore the sensation of their eyes on him he turned his eyes toward his screen. It was true that of late things had been better, or seemed that way at least. Over the past several months since he and Akane had last visited Kiyoshiko Michi, calls between them had started to become a regularity for him. Initially his conversations with her had been infrequent at best, mostly at the end of a difficult case when he had worried about burdening Akane with his troubles, but found himself unable to relax. At first the subjects of conversation had been limited strictly to literature, but in recent weeks had begun branching out into other topics, even once or twice touching briefly on more personal subjects. Their calls had increased in frequency also, going from perhaps a few times a month, to weekly and most recently to a couple of times a week.

Out of the corner of his eye Ginoza glanced toward Yayoi’s station, it seemed that Karanomori had retreated to her lab and Kunizuka had turned back to her work. _They haven’t the slightest idea what they’re talking about. Michi-san is simply pleasant to talk with, it doesn’t mean anything more than that._ He thought before quickly turning his attention back to his screen before he could be noticed looking over.  
Thankfully Akane arrived for her shift a few minutes later, helping to prevent any further discussion of the subject from happening. 

****

\---------------

An alarm echoed through the hallways of MWPSB headquarters, signaling an area of increased stress in the city. Akane looked back toward her station’s screen as a message popped up on it. Division one had been assigned to investigate, and deal with the situation. Quickly sending a copy of the currently available details to Shimotsuki, Akane scanned the file on her screen. Based on the information the cause of the elevated area stress was related to the reports of multiple bombs and fires which were beginning to be reported nearby.  
Akane looked up to see the enforcers were all turned toward her, waiting for instructions. She pulled her field jacket off the back of her chair slipping it on as she spoke quickly to begin briefing the team on the details, as she led the way out of the office.

“Division Three will be handling assisting any civilians with evacuation. We will assist them as needed and be in charge of investigating the scenes as they’re cleared, and pursuing suspects.” continued Akane, viewing the road ahead with determined eyes as she drove down the highway. Inspector Mika Shimotsuki sat in the passenger seat, listening with arms folded over her chest as Akane spoke. A paddy wagon and handful of MWPSB drones followed behind the car. 

“Have the street scanners located any suspects yet?” came Ginoza’s voice over the communications system. 

Akane shook her head fractionally, though Ginoza wouldn’t be able to see it from where he sat inside the paddy wagon. “No, so far no one has shown up. But the sites are all close to an abolition block so the bomber could be hiding from the scanners there.” 

Shimotsuki frowned, grimacing for a moment at Akane’s words. “So that means we’ll have to search that whole area on foot to try to find whoever’s behind it?”

“Shion is checking the scanners now, so she should have something soon. Once we have an identity it will be easy to track the suspect on camera.” said Yayoi, her voice level and calm as usual. 

“Right.” said Akane, nodding in agreement. “In the meantime Ginoza-san and Hinakawa-kun will be with me. Inspector Shimotsuki will take Sugo-san and Kunizuka-san.”  
Murmurs of assent were heard over the communications channel as the car and paddy wagon coasted to a gentle stop at the scene. 

MWPSB barriers were already in place blocking off portions of the area from view. Having parked on the other side of the barriers, Akane and Shimotsuki got out of the car glancing around as the enforcers made their way off the paddy wagon. Several buildings were already on fire, lighting the area with a dancing red-orange glow, and firefighting drones moved back and forth among the structures, attempting to quench the flames and keep the fires from spreading to nearby buildings. In the distance a number of enforcers could be seen directing civilians away from the area. Ginoza drew a soft breath as he looked around, save for the rioting crowds the scene was vaguely reminiscent of the riots during the Makishima incident. _At least not yet, who knows what might happen if this gets much worse than it is now. All it would take for things to go wrong is for a panic to start._ He thought, glancing toward Akane for her instructions. 

Akane nodded in response as he and the other enforcers gathered around her to hear their orders. “Inspector Shimotsuki, please go and assist Division three with their evacuations. Call immediately if the situation changes.” She began, waiting until Mika had nodded in reply and started off with Sugo and Yayoi, before lifting her wrist to speak into her wrist comm. “Karanomori-san, have you found anything yet?”

“With all the elevated stress levels in the area there’s a lot to sort through here, Akane-chan. Not yet.” Shion’s fingers tapped at her keyboard as she pulled up the feeds from various street scanners and cameras on her screen. “There was a potential hit on the street scanners for a minute, but I lost him when he fled into the abolition block. I’m trying to pick him back up on camera but all those explosions and fires have taken out several of them already. I’m working on hacking the feeds from other cameras in the area but I’ll have to get back to you on that.” 

Akane nodded. “Keep me informed. …We’ll start searching on foot in the abolition block. Let’s spread out to cover more ground, stay in contact by comms.” She added, looking over at Ginoza and Hinakawa.

Ginoza frowned, looking over at Hinakawa for a moment as if sizing him up, before returning his attention to Akane. “I don’t think splitting up is wise. You should keep someone with you, Tsunemori. At least take Hinakawa,… I’ll search the area toward the river and contact you if I encounter any difficulty.”

Akane bit her lip for a moment, thinking then nodded. “All right Ginoza-san. But be careful, if you find the suspect don’t try to confront him alone. Wait for backup.” She looked over at Hinakawa, nodding as she started into the abolition block. “Hinakawa-kun, you’re with me.”  
The slender red-headed young man nodded, gripping his dominator a bit more tightly as he followed.  
Ginoza watched for a moment as their backs retreated into the darkness, then made his way into the abolition block as well, taking a slightly different course which would parallel the edge of the abolition block and eventually take him along the river.

_This would be much easier if we had a better lead on his direction, or even a better description to work from._ thought Ginoza, frowning as he surveyed the area, dominator already drawn though he kept it aimed downward for the time being. “Karanomori, can you pull a picture off any of the cameras?”

The sound of keys clicking could be heard over the comm for a moment before Shion replied. “I’m a little busy here at the moment. Some of these cameras have decent security on them...” 

“Just get us a picture. …Please. ” asked Ginoza grimacing slightly as he cautiously peered around a corner before quickly crossing to the next street. 

“Just keep your pants on Ginoza-san.” came Shion’s voice, sounding faintly amused. “Sending it to you now.” 

Ginoza lifted his hand, starting to look down toward the holographic display at the slightly blurry picture Shion had sent when another explosion abruptly rocked the area, shooting flames into the sky nearby. Distantly heard screams and cries followed in its wake. Ginoza swore, turning to race toward the explosion. “Shepherd one, there’s been another explosion! I’m headed there now, possible civilian casualties.”

“We see it Hound one, we’ll join you shortly.” A slight pause and then Akane continued. “Ginoza-san be careful.” She admonished once more. 

As he continued running, a stream of people began to pour out from one of the nearby streets. For a moment Ginoza attempted to direct them toward safety, but the push of the mob was overwhelming, forcing him to retreat against wall of a nearby building to avoid being trampled. In such close quarters it would be difficult to use the dominator, as targeting individual people would be nearly impossible. In moments the crowd had swept past him down the street.  
He quickly contacted Akane and Shimotsuki, to inform them of the wave of people fleeing the most recent explosion and their current direction.  
Ginoza had just ended the call when nearby cries for help drew his attention. He looked toward the sound of the voice which was coming from the river. Sprinting to the bank he could see someone splashing in the water, likely knocked in on accident by the fleeing mob. Quickly shrugging out of his tan trench coat, dropping it and his dominator on the riverbank, Ginoza dove into the water, swimming toward the person as the current swept them toward him.  
Once he was close enough Ginoza could see that it was a woman, and he reached out to grab her arm, hauling her toward him. “It’s okay! I’ve got you, just hold on.” The woman struggled against him for a moment, obviously frightened, then stilled allowing him to turn and swim toward the edge of the river. Once they reached the bank Ginoza swept the woman up in his arms carrying her the few yards to where he’d left his coat and dominator before depositing her on the ground. “Are you all right? Were you injured?” he asked, looking down at her as the dark haired woman clawed her soaked, wavy, black hair out of her face coughing lightly. 

“I don’t know. …I’m all right I thin-…” breaking off abruptly the woman looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. “…G-ginoza-san?” 

In the dim light from the moon and fires Ginoza could see that a thick film covered her eyes, giving the pupil and iris a whitish cast. He blinked, his mouth dropping open fractionally for a moment. “Michi-san… What are you doing here?” he asked as he dropped to one knee in front of her. “What happened?”

“The museum I work at is near here. …I was giving a tour like usual when there was an explosion. I tried to keep everyone calm, to get them out of the building, but everyone started panicking and running for the exits.” Kiyoshiko bit her lip for a moment, shaking her head. “I got caught up in the crowd and couldn’t tell where I was going, then someone ran into me and all of a sudden I was in the water. …I couldn’t tell which way the shore was, or where I was.” She said, her voice beginning to rise a bit as her hands fidgeted nervously on her lap.

Ginoza nodded as he put a hand on her shoulder trying to calm her. “All right, that’s enough. It’s okay, now.” She shivered a bit under his hand, as a gust of wind off the river blew past them, he reached for his coat, wrapping it around Kiyoshiko’s shoulders. “I have to go, but just stay-…“ Another explosion interrupted Ginoza and he instinctively pulled her toward himself, to shield her.  
After a moment Ginoza lifted his head, looking around to see that the explosion had been a few streets over. He relaxed his grip on Kiyoshiko, and picked up his dominator before taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. As he did, Shion’s voice sounded over the communications system. “Everyone! I found the suspect! …He’s still in the abolition block, I’m following him on camera and am sending his co-ordinates to you now!”  
Letting go of Kiyoshiko’s hand Ginoza tilted his wrist to study the map Shion had sent. “Hound one here. I’m closest to him, moving to pursue. I’m leaving a civilian at my location in need of assistance.” Distantly he heard Akane’s acknowledgement, and her giving instructions to the rest of the team, as he grabbed Kiyoshiko’s hand pulling her toward a low wall and pushing her down behind it. He crouched down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders to make sure he had her attention. “I have to go. Stay here and don’t move till the others get here. You’ll be all right.” Ginoza started to withdraw his hands and stand when Kiyoshiko’s hand clamped tightly on the wrist of his good hand. 

She looked up at him, traces of fear beginning to creep into her expression once more. “Ginoza-san…?” 

Biting his lip for a moment Ginoza shook his head, gently pulling his hand free. “Tsunemori or one of the others will be here soon. Just stay down until they get here and you’ll be safe.” He said as he bent forward, quickly pressing a light kiss to her forehead before standing and sprinting off in pursuit of the bombing suspect.


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile Inspector Mika Shimotsuki looked around at the scene of increasing chaos around her as civilians were being evacuated from the area as a small explosion set off by one of the fires was rekindled and was threatening to over tax the firefighting drones.  
“Over here! …This woman needs medical attention!” shouted a voice in the crowd. She watched as Sugo broke away from where he was helping Yayoi direct people toward safety to go and assist.  
Mika frowned looking down at her wrist communicator as she called for additional firefighting drones and medical personnel. _How could things get this bad so quickly? Any more and we could lose control of these people, and have a riot on our hands._  
She looked up with a gasp as the sound of another bomb going off echoed in the distance. Quickly tuning back to the communications channel shared by Division one she listened as Ginoza reported heading toward the explosion and that there were possible casualties. Akane’s voice acknowledged his report, following it with an additional warning for caution.  
Mika frowned at Akane’s familiar tone with the enforcer. _It’s not like they’re supposed to stay out of danger. That’s part of their job,… Why is she always so worried about them?_ thought Mika before her attention was pulled back to her wrist link. 

“Shepherd two, what’s the situation where you are?” asked Akane.

Mika lifted her wrist to speak into the communicator. “We’re still working with Division three on evacuations. The fire drones are trying to get the fires put out, but are having some trouble. I’ve already called for additional drones and personnel.” 

“All right, that’s fine. Let Division three continue working there, another bomb just went off at a museum nearby. I want you and Hounds Two and Three to join me there, I’m sending you the location.” ordered Akane. 

Mika acknowledged the order then signaled to Yayoi and Sugo to join her as she pulled up the map Akane had sent. The two enforcers had just arrived at her side when another call came in from Ginoza informing them of the fleeing mob of people. “Come on, let’s go.” said Mika looking up at the pair before turning to hurry toward the museum. 

By the time Akane and Hinakawa reached the museum most of the people in the area had already cleared out, likely driven away by the earlier bombs or caught up in the wave of people that Ginoza had reported. They moved to begin assisting the remaining people in the area toward safety as fire drones and medical personnel arrived to respond to the new explosion.  
_Good. It’s lucky that Shimotsuki-san had already called for back-up._ thought Akane, smiling reassuringly at her current charge as she helped the young woman toward one of the nearest emergency medical responders.  
After leaving the woman in the nurse’s hands, she looked around for a moment before spotting Hinakawa who was busy directing a handful of people toward some of the other medical personnel. She waited a moment until the young enforcer looked in her direction then nodded and smiled encouragingly.  
A moment later Akane instinctively ducked, covering her head with her arms as another bomb went off a couple of blocks behind her. When she looked back up Hinakawa was already coming toward her, his eyes startled. On the heels of the explosion Shion’s excited voice broke over the communications channel, reporting that she had located the bomber. It was quickly followed by Ginoza reporting that he was nearby and would pursue the suspect, but was leaving a civilian behind. Akane acknowledged both of their reports just as Mika, Sugo and Yayoi arrived at the museum and made their way over to her.  
Turning toward them she began issuing instructions. “Shimotsuki-san, Ginoza-san is in pursuit of the suspect. I want you to take Kunizuka-san and Sugo-san and give him back-up, be careful though we don’t know if he may have more bombs. Karanomori-san is following him on cameras, she’ll guide you to him and Ginoza-san.” 

Mika grimaced slightly, obviously displeased with being made to leave the scene again after having just arrived. “What about you? What will you be doing?” she asked. 

“Things are mostly under control here, I’ll signal Division three to send someone here as soon as they can. In the meantime Hinakawa-kun and I will go assist the civilian Ginoza mentioned then join you in pursuit of the suspect.” replied Akane.

Mika hesitated a moment, then nodded. “All right, fine. We’ll keep you apprised of the situation.” She shot a glance toward Sugo and Yayoi, motioning for them to follow her as she turned to go. “Come on then.”

Akane watched them for a moment as she signaled to Division three, then reached out to touch Hinakawa’s arm. “Come on, we should go too. There’s someone who needs our help.” She said as she led the way toward the coordinates Ginoza had left, making sure one of the MWPSB drones was following.

Ginoza hurried down an alleyway, following Karanomori’s instructions, according to her he was close, just a few blocks or less away from catching up with him. As he turned a corner, the analyst’s voice which had only occasionally been interrupted by bursts of static faded away entirely. Ginoza came to a stop putting his back to the nearest wall, frowning as he fiddled with his wrist communicator trying to regain the lost signal. “Karanomori, I’ve lost you. Can you hear me? Karanomori?” called Ginoza. After a few moments Ginoza swore softly, giving up the attempt to regain the connection. He had been close, close enough that it would have been impossible for the bomber to have gotten too far ahead in just a handful of seconds. Stepping away from the wall Ginoza resumed his course based on the last location Karanomori had reported.  
As Ginoza moved away down the alley, a figure rose from behind a pile of garbage and refuse and darted toward him.  
Ginoza rounded a corner, raising his Dominator as he caught sight of the suspected bomber fleeing down the road ahead. “Crime Coefficient 403, enforcement mode is lethal eliminator.” stated the robotic voice of the Sybil System as the Dominator reconfigured itself to lethal mode, Ginoza aimed the it toward the fugitive. “Aim carefully, and eliminate the target.” 

Clenching his jaw Ginoza’s finger began to tighten on the Dominator’s trigger, when suddenly he was hit from behind, knocking him off balance and disrupting his aim. The Dominator fired, the shot missing the suspect to destroy a nearby portion of the alley wall instead as the bomber darted out of sight. Ginoza started to turn to deal with the new attacker, already beginning to raise his dominator when his arms were struck by a second blow, breaking his grip on the weapon and sending it spinning away along the ground of the alleyway. Ginoza stepped back slightly to gain space as he raised his prosthetic arm to ward off another hit from the attacker. The man’s weapon, a thick pipe-like object, clanged dully as it connected with Ginoza’s metallic arm. Using the moment the dark haired enforcer leaned back, and aimed a kick at the man’s arm knocking the pipe out of his hand. Ginoza’s eyes darted to the side for an instant toward where the Dominator had landed. 

_It’s too far away to reach quickly enough._ thought Ginoza, shifting his focus back to his attacker as the man moved in for another attack, seeming to have decided to rely on hand to hand combat instead. Shifting into a martial arts stance Ginoza met the man’s attack, the two of them trading and defending against several blows before breaking apart. Ginoza’s opponent was nearly as tall as he was, though slightly more bulky with muscular shoulders. The pair surveyed each other for a long moment, gauging each other’s weaknesses, then Ginoza shifted moving to make an attempt to retrieve his Dominator. His movement was blocked by the man who placed himself between Ginoza and the weapon, aiming a punch at the dark haired enforcer’s head. 

Ginoza dodged the blow, following the motion up with a punch of his own before spinning as he threw in a roundhouse kick as well. The man countered the move by wrapping his arm around Ginoza’s leg, pinning it for a moment before plunging a long knife he had had hidden somewhere into the leg. Ginoza bit back a shout as he wrenched his leg free from the man’s grasp, moving backward, stumbling slightly as he put weight on his injured leg. The man smirked at the stumble, then quickly moved in hoping to press his advantage. Ginoza gave space as the man advanced, finding himself backed against the alley wall as his attacker used an arm to pin him by his throat. The bulky man’s knife flashed as he aimed two swift thrusts of the blade into the enforcer’s stomach.  
Ginoza’s shout echoed down the alleyway, he was unable to suppress his cry this time. Struggling against the man, Ginoza swung his arm managing to land a blow against side of his attacker’s head. As the man staggered back Ginoza scrambled away down the alley, half-falling as he dove for his Dominator. The enforcer’s fingers closed on the weapon and he twisted, sliding along on his shoulder for a moment before coming up against the far wall as he aimed back at the man, who was just beginning to recover and start toward Ginoza once more, as he pulled the trigger. The Dominator fired and the man exploded in a burst of blood.  
Panting Ginoza started to get to his feet, half rising before sagging back against the wall and sliding to the ground. He swore softly as he pressed a hand to his abdomen, feeling hot blood ooze out between his fingers. 

Mika, Yayoi, and Sugo hurried down the alley, following Shion’s instructions as she guided them toward where she’d last had the bomber on camera. A few minutes ago the analyst had reported losing contact with Ginoza for unknown reasons, though he had been close to catching up to the bomber at the time. Yayoi’s lips thinned as she pressed them together at the news. They’d already lost too many people in the last couple of years, in a situation like this an abrupt loss of contact was, worrying.  
_Hold on. …We should be close._ thought Yayoi, her head snapping up as a scream echoed down the alleyway. Yayoi’s eyes widened as she glanced over at Sugo, who nodded in response. The pair picked up their pace, outdistancing Shimotsuki who shouted for them to wait, passing by her as they ran toward the source of the cry. 

Sprinting a bit further the three of them came to where Ginoza was struggling to his feet once more, bracing the elbow of his prosthetic arm against the wall and leaning heavily on it as he kept his good hand pressed tightly to his stomach, though it didn’t completely prevent small trickles of blood from making their way to the ground. Mika paused with a soft gasp, drawing Ginoza’s attention. He looked toward them as Sugo and Yayoi rushed forward, the two of them lowered him to the ground as his injured leg gave way. Yayoi tugged her tie off, tossing it to Sugo for him to use as a makeshift bandage for Ginoza’s leg, before turning and pacing back toward the entrance of the alley as she worked to try to boost her wrist communicator’s signal and reach Shion or Akane. _This is bad. We need medical supplies, and we don’t know where the bomber is right now either…_ Yayoi thought as she tinkered with her communicator, feeling a rush of relief as she finally managed to establish a link to Akane. “Shepherd One. We need help here. Hound one is down. …Send a medical drone, quickly.”

Akane studied the holographic map projected by her wrist link as she and Hinakawa came to the co-ordinates indicated on it. She looked around frowning slightly, when no one was immediately visible. “We should be close.” She said, glancing over at Hinakawa for a moment. “This is about where the co-ordinates Ginoza-san indicated are.” 

The younger red haired enforcer nodded in reply, coming to a stop as he surveyed the area. “H-hello?” He called out hesitantly. “…Is anyone here?”

Akane stepped forward a bit continuing to look around, her eyes playing over the low wall near the edge of the river. “We’re with the MWPSB.” she added. 

In response to her words a dark head cautiously rose above the edge of the wall, as if peeking over it. “Akane-chan? Is that you?” asked Kiyoshiko as she rose onto her knees, Ginoza’s trench coat still draped around her shoulders.

“Kiyoshiko-chan?” exclaimed Akane, her eyes widening slightly as she hurried toward the taller woman, followed by Hinakawa and the medical drone. “Are you all right?” she asked, recognizing the coat around her shoulders and that she was likely the civilian Ginoza had referred to. Akane knelt in front of her frowning slightly, surveying the other woman for injuries.

Kiyoshiko nodded in response to Akane, keeping her eyes closed to mere slits as she turned her face toward Hinakawa and the drone for a moment, before returning her attention to Akane. “I… think so. I just couldn’t find my way out of here after Ginoza-san pulled me from the river.”

Akane sighed her expression relaxing as she nodded. “That’s good, I’m glad you weren’t hurt.” She said as she started to get to her feet. “You were at the museum when it was bombed?” 

Kiyoshiko opened her mouth to reply when she was cut off by a burst of static from Akane’s wrist comm. Faintly Yayoi’s voice filtered through the static in fractured bits. “…-One. …-Help-... …Hound One- down. …-Medical drone-…”

“Hound two, you’re breaking up. I can barely understand you.” said Akane, frowning as she took a few steps away manipulating the frequency on her wrist link as she tried to get a better signal. “What’s your location?” Another screech of static was the only response to Akane’s question. She tried once more. “Say again, Kunizuka-san?”  
More static, drowning out Yayoi’s garbled reply. 

Shion broke in a moment later. “Akane- chan. There’s some sort of jamming field in that area, it’s interfering with our transmissions. I’m trying to clear it up from here.”

 _A jamming field?_ thought Akane frowning, as she waited for Shion to clear the signal. Why here in the abolition block?

A moment later the static from the communications channel lessened and Yayoi’s voice came through, a bit more clearly than before. “I’m sending our location now. …Inspector Shimotsuki is ordering us to resume our pursuit of the bomber.” she said, before a gabble of mixed voices filtered through the static behind her. “Hound One agrees with her.” added Yayoi, a hint of a frown carrying through in her words.

An unhappy expression crossed Akane’s face for a moment and she sighed quietly before nodding. “Acknowledged Hound two, resume your pursuit. We’re on the way.”  
She turned her attention to Hinakawa. “Hinakawa-kun, I’ll start ahead. I want you to help Michi-san back out of the abolition block and then-…” began Akane before being interrupted by Kiyoshiko’s voice. 

“Akane-chan, let me come with you. If Ginoza-san is hurt that badly, you might need an extra pair of hands. I can help.” said Kiyoshiko, as she slipped her hands into the sleeves of Ginoza’s coat preparing to go with Akane and Hinakawa.

Hinakawa added hesitantly. “…W-we shouldn’t s-split up, Onee-chan. …Ginoza-san said so.”

Akane glanced away for a moment as she considered the wisdom of the idea. There wasn’t much time to be spent arguing, and both had valid points. After a moment she looked back, nodding fractionally. “All right. We don’t have time to waste. Hinakawa-kun help Michi-san.” 

Hinakawa nodded at Akane, and timidly reached down to help Kiyoshiko to her feet. As she rose the dark haired woman gasped, half collapsing for a moment before grabbing ahold of Hinakawa’s shoulder and pulling herself back up. “It’s nothing. I’m all right.” She said in answer to Akane’s concerned murmur, her expression determined. “We should hurry.”

The trio set off at a rapid pace, with Akane well in the lead, trailed by the medical drone. Hinakawa and Kiyoshiko followed, the dark haired woman leaning heavily on the blushing enforcer’s shoulder. When they reached Ginoza, Akane quickly moved to assess the half conscious enforcer’s injuries. Quickly locating where the necessary supplies were in the medical drone’s storage, Akane guided Kiyoshiko’s hands to the stab wounds in Ginoza’s stomach, instructing her to apply pressure, while she set up an IV. Hinakawa paled a bit at the sight of the blood darkening Ginoza’s clothing but moved to hold the other enforcer down when he struggled against the pressure being applied to his injuries.

Ginoza’s head swam as he fought to stay awake, dizzy from the blood he’d already lost. His awareness of his surroundings coming in vague disjointed flashes.  
He remembered Shimotsuki, Sugo and Kunizuka leaving in pursuit of the bomber at his insistence. _….They should be able to catch him, if Karanomori is still tracking him…_  
An indeterminate time later, snatches of half heard discussion buzzed in the air above him, the voices familiar but distant, obviously discussing something. A pair of hands pushed against his, moving them out of the way before pressing down on his wounds. Ginoza bucked against the pressure, letting out a choked off cry of pain, he felt another set of hands pressing down on his shoulders as his vision whited out.  
When his vision returned Ginoza’s mind was slightly clearer, he opened his eyes fractionally, listening as Akane spoke to two others who were present while she wiped her hands clean before taking up her Dominator. He watched as she turned and hurried away. Ginoza tried to sit up intending to call after her, before being pressed back to lay flat. _Tsunemori, wait…_ he thought, shuddering slightly from the cold, as his eyelids drifted closed once more.  
Gradually consciousness returned, he was warmer now feeling as if he were covered by some sort of blanket. Slowly his awareness expanded and he noticed the fact that his head was resting on something soft as a hand brushed his hair back from his forehead. _It was soothing…_ he thought, turning his head toward the sensation. The touch was light and delicate. _Almost like a kiss..._ Abruptly becoming aware of his line of thought Ginoza stiffened at his last notion, which brought forth a memory from earlier that evening.  
He felt heat beginning to rise in his face, accompanied by a sense of panic and a fresh wave of dizziness. _Michi-san… Did I really-? …What was I thinking?_ Ginoza’s thoughts buzzed in frantic circles, and he felt as if he were suffocating, before he mercifully passed out. 

Following Shion’s directions Yayoi, Sugo and Mika raced down an alley toward an abandoned warehouse where it seemed the bomber had decided to take shelter. As they ran Yayoi’s eyes surveyed the area around them. _Based on the attack on Ginoza it was possible the bomber could have another accomplice, beyond the one that had already been dealt with._ She thought biting her lip slightly, hoping that Tsunemori would have reached the fallen enforcer by now. There was no time to dwell on that now however, Yayoi refocused her attention on the warehouse as they came to a stop across the street from it. 

Mika raised her wrist link, as Yayoi and Sugo turned their attention toward her. “Karanomori-san, is the bomber still inside the warehouse?”  
Karanomori’s voice weakly came over the communications channel, which was still riddled with bursts of static that occasionally drowned out the speaker’s voice. “…No sign… leaving… on camera. …Still there, unless… has another exit.”

Inspector Shimotsuki nodded in response to the analyst’s words. “Fine, we’re about to move in.” She turned her attention to Yayoi and Sugo, who were waiting for their instructions. “The two of you, check the perimeter then make your way inside the building. Locate the bombing suspect and deal with him… we need to finish this before he can cause any more trouble.”  
The pair of enforcers nodded then moved toward the warehouse, Dominators in hand. 

As they reached it they separated rounding the building on opposite sides. Sugo cautiously climbed up on some crates to peer in a window before jumping down, and signaling to Yayoi and Mika that he had spotted the suspect.  
Mika nodded, signaling back for Sugo and Yayoi to enter, approaching the suspect from opposite sides while she approached from the front entrance. On her signal the three of them burst into the building, Dominators drawn and ready.  
When they entered the bombing suspect was hunched over a table frantically working with an object on its surface. He looked up with a jerk as Mika and the enforcers rushed in, backing away from the table with such haste that he knocked it over, scattering the items on it to the floor. The trio tensed, Yayoi twisted beginning to take a step toward Mika, anticipating another explosion. Instead the moment passed, with only silence broken by a high pitched smattering of laughter from the bomber, who had moved into cover during their initial reaction.  
Recovering herself Mika frowned raising her dominator as she attempted to locate the bomber’s hiding place. “Come out, it’s over. Give yourself up peacefully.” 

As she spoke Yayoi and Sugo spread out across the warehouse, attempting to move into position to be able to take out the bomber. 

Another laugh answered Shimotsuki’s words. “Come and get me if you can MWPSB,… before I take you with me. I’ve rigged this building to explode… all it will take is the push of a button. I press it. …And we all go up in smoke. …Don’t believe me? Just look up.” 

Yayoi, Sugo, and Mika looked toward the roof, the support beams holding it up were adorned with at least a dozen bombs, more than enough to bring down the entire building. A gasp escaped Mika as she gazed wide eyed, upward. 

Yayoi’s eyes were drawn from the ceiling by the sound, she looked over at Mika with a frown. “Inspector, get out of here! We’ll handle this.” 

Wordlessly Mika nodded starting to turn to leave, only to be stopped as the bomber stepped from where he had hidden to grab her by wrapping an arm around her upper arms and chest pulling her against himself to use as a human shield. The bomber held out a hand clutching a detonation device as he backed toward the door. “Now you’re going to let me walk out of here, or I’ll make sure to take her out with me…” 

Yayoi frowned, shifting as she tried to find a clear shot. Mika hung wide eyed and unmoving in the bomber’s grip, her Dominator dangling loosely in her hands as she stared fearfully toward Yayoi. The female enforcer’s lips tightened as she tried to think of a way to take out the bomber safely.  
The bomber’s attention was focused on Yayoi, as they stood deadlocked, meanwhile Sugo had managed to escape notice and edge out of the bomber’s sight. Aiming carefully he lined up a shot and fired, there was a moment of silence then the bomber erupted in an explosion of blood.  
Mika Shimotsuki let out a sharp scream, her eyes growing impossibly larger as she was showered by the bomber’s blood. Without hesitation Yayoi holstered her Dominator, rushing forward to take Mika’s arm, supporting the younger woman as the Inspector’s knees threatened to give way. “Are you all right Inspector?” she asked, studying her with a concerned expression. 

Mika hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I-… I think so... I-…” she broke off abruptly, clapping a hand over her mouth and pushing out of Yayoi’s grasp, before stumbling toward a corner of the room where she threw up. Yayoi followed Mika, standing beside the girl and murmuring comfortingly as she rubbed her shoulders.  
Sugo watched the two of them for a moment, then raised his wrist communicator to call Akane. “Shepherd One, this is Hound Three. It’s over. …We’ve taken out the bomber…” he began.


	3. Epilogue

Ginoza gasped, his eyes snapping open, as he regained consciousness. Suddenly recalling the situation when he had passed out, he tried to sit up before groaning in pain, and falling back against his pillow as he pressed a hand to his abdomen. Catching his breath Ginoza reopened eyes, the ceiling of the MWPSB’s medical ward slowly coming into focus, after a moment he turned his head to see Akane sitting on a chair nearby engrossed in the report she was reading.  
Ginoza watched for a few minutes as she paused now and then to key in additional notes. He was relieved to see that whatever had happened after Akane had left, she had come through it uninjured at least. Ginoza licked his lips, which felt very dry, before speaking in a low voice. “…Tsunemori…”

“Oh. …You’re awake.” said Akane as she looked up, smiling when she saw that Ginoza was conscious. She rose from her chair coming over to stand next to his bed. “How are you feeling Ginoza-san? …Would you like something to drink?”

Ginoza nodded, watching as Akane retrieved a glass of water from the table next to the bed, helping him to drink. Murmuring his thanks Ginoza lay back once more after drinking, waiting until Akane had returned to her chair after scooting it a bit closer to the bed. “…The bomber, what happened?” 

“We caught him in a warehouse not too far from where you were. ...He’s… been stopped.” said Akane, after a pause. “…We’re still investigating the warehouse and his apartment, but it’s starting look like it all might have been connected to Kamui. It seems like the bomber had some association with him. Like he either worked with him, or knew of him and admired him in some way.”

“…Revenge then, perhaps.” murmured Ginoza softly.

“Maybe.” replied Akane, frowning a bit as she prodded at her tablet. “The man who attacked you though, we don’t have any record of him. It seems like he might have been an illegal immigrant. …We do know that some of the people Kamui was using were but… there’s still something strange,… Like there’s more to this somehow.” Akane trailed off, shaking her head. _And there’s still that jamming field that was disrupting our communications…_  
Both Ginoza and Akane fell silent for a moment, lost in their respective thoughts. Akane was the first to break the silence. “…Kiyoshiko-chan is all right. It sounded like she was going to be kept for observation for a few days, but she didn’t sound worried about it.” 

Ginoza nodded, the mention of Kiyoshiko sent a flutter of anxiety through him, though another part of him was relieved to hear that she was all right. He looked back over as Akane rose from her chair gathering up the couple of tablets she had brought with her. 

“You should rest now Ginoza-san, so you can recover and be back on your feet soon. …I have to go,… but I can come back to check on you later.” Akane hesitated a moment then stepped over to Ginoza’s bedside, touching his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Letting her hand fall back to her side Akane turned to go, then paused in the doorway, looking back over her shoulder at him. “Oh …You should think about talking to Kiyoshiko-chan when you can, Ginoza-san. I think she’d like to hear from you.” said Akane smiling.

Ginoza tensed, his fingers unconsciously gripping the bedsheets a bit tighter at Akane’s words. He watched as she made her way out of the room, then let his head fall back against his pillow as he tried to relax once more. Time passed as he tried to figure out what to do. Finally, deciding he couldn’t put it off any longer Ginoza keyed a number into his wrist communicator. “Hello, Michi-san?”

A slight gasp sounded through the line. “Ginoza-san? Is that you?” asked Kiyoshiko as she answered the call. “Are you all right?”

Despite his anxiousness, a part of Ginoza was touched, secretly pleased by her concern for him. “I think I’m all right. …I haven’t been awake for long so I don’t know what the doctor might have to say yet. …But I’m sure it’s nothing serious, you shouldn’t concern yourself.” _I- …I’m not someone you should worry about. …Besides, it’s not good for your psychopass._ thought Ginoza, shifting a bit before flinching at the twinge of pain caused by the motion.

“Ginoza-san…” began Kiyoshiko, taking a breath as if preparing for a lecture. “I hope you’re not under-estimating the seriousness of it, just because it’s you that was hurt. …Or to try to keep people from worrying about you…” she added in a quieter voice. 

Ginoza hesitated, then sighed shaking his head. “You shouldn’t worry though, you should be more concerned for yourself. …Are you all right? What about your psycho-pass?”

“I’m fine, you shouldn’t worry about me. I’m more worried about you. You were hurt a lot worse than I was.” came Kiyoshiko’s voice over the communications channel. She paused for a moment before continuing. “The doctors want me to stay off my ankle for a while since I sprained it badly, but I should be able to leave in a few days. They say my psycho-pass is already returning to normal, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Ginoza sighed, reassured by the news that her involvement in the recent incident didn’t seem to have negatively impacted Kiyoshiko’s psychopass. “That’s good. …I’m… relieved to hear it.”

Kiyoshiko laughed softly, the sound of her smile carrying through the channel. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “…Ginoza-san,… about earlier, I-…”

“Michi-san, I-…” interrupted Ginoza, his eyes widening nervously. “I think one of the doctors is coming. I have to go.” He stuttered out before quickly ending the call. Ginoza closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing. _…Could Karanomori have been right after all?_ He thought as he tried to ignore the suddenly rapid sound of his heartbeat on the monitor.

Several days later Ginoza was cleared to return to duty. He made his way down to Division one’s squad room, as he entered he passed by Shion, who was just leaving carrying several brownies in a napkin. Looking around he saw that others had assorted baked goods on their desks as well, even Shimotsuki was nibbling occasionally at a lemon bar as she worked on a report. “Where did these come from?” he asked as he surveyed the room. 

“F-from Onee-chan’s friend.” Hinakawa volunteered quietly from where he was sitting at his desk with his knees drawn up to his chest, while taking bites from a chocolate chip cookie. 

“Would you like one Ginoza-san?” asked Akane smiling as she lifted the edge of a large serving plate, piled with brownies, chocolate chip cookies and lemon bars.  
Ginoza made his way across the room, coming to a stop in front of Akane’s desk. 

“They’re from Kiyoshiko-chan. …She said she realizes our job is difficult, and that we might not get very much appreciation…. And this isn’t really enough considering but…” Akane trailed off as Ginoza’s gaze drifted down to the plate, taking in the careful script of the note pinned to its covering. It read,… ‘Thank you.’


End file.
